Modern Problems require MEDIEVAL Solutions

When modern appliances fail, we rely on teachings of the past. Medieval/Fantasy Adventuring taught me skills I seriously needed this week.

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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

[shadowofhawk]

Kramer - Perfect time to live like an adventurer

Kramer’s family - Shivering by the space heaters

[woltews]

Some observations from someone that has done this a bunch
1- get a wheelbarrow to move your wood
2- wrap some cord around your tomahawk handle near the top just below the head to keep the head from coming loose
3-Hang blankets on the walls to reduce drafts ( that's basically what tapestries were for )
4- stock you felled wood off the ground so it can dry out a bit before splitting
5- bring a file with you to touch up the blade on your axe as you chop to keep the edge as sharp as you and prevent chipping of the blade

[chuckfrench]

Life lessons here:
1. Having a good attitude goes a long way.
2. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter what the task is.
3. Being comfortable where others are uncomfortable toughens you up.

[Kanudelgruber]

It feels good to do something that simply needs to be done.

[harbl]

Ah yes, the video when Living Anachronism began to transition into a bushcraft/alternative technologies channel.

[Glimmlampe]

I had the same thing, my heating broke last year, at expected when it was the coldest time. Normally it's just about freezing here, then it was like -20C. And it took over a month to get the Craftsman and the spare parts etc. Luckily I had the wood store for heating the living room.
My chimney sweep has a saying:
Wood keeps you warm three times: when you collect is, when you split it and when you burn it ;)

[audreydeneui]

My mom (yes, my MOM) used to "chop" wood using a wedge and a sledge hammer. We used wood to supplement our furnace when I was a kid.

[williamturechek]

Somebody needs a proper splitting maul. But hey props for using what you got at the time and making it work.

[paintingdragons]

My dad and I had this exact line of thought this morning. I've been learning how to bake sourdough bread on a consistent basis ( 1 to save money and 2 its healthyer), and I've gotten pretty good. As my dad was enjoying the bread he said if you showed this bread to a victorian person they wouldn't think anything of it. It's just bread, but to us it's a luxury.

[Cascadian_Ranger]

Cutting and splitting wood is easily one of the most fulfilling activities physical activities you can do (not to mention the exercise aspect of it).
And your comment about the difficulty of heating your home with wood these days versus in the medieval era is something I've wondered as well. We have fireplaces as more cosmetic features than functional, and the design of our homes does not help that.

[bencowles]

typically, the down time in winter was used to do things like sewing, knitting, leather crafts, and making small things from wood like bowls cups spoons etc. the wood cutting would have been done year-round to build up a good supply of wood and let it have time to dry and age. I do that myself and there are several benefits. the ash from the fire is used in the garden (potash) and as a dust bath material for the chickens which keeps down mites and parasites. and hard wood fire ash makes good lye soap.

[reactionaryprinciplegaming]

I live in a small house in the woods, in Kanada. I do use a woodstove to heat my place. Being in Kanada, we often have power outages, and, since I'm in the middle of nowhere, they take their damn time to fix my power. So, I have got some experiences with being without electricity for a prolonged period of time. Getting light from candles, melting snow on the stove, cooking on it, etc. It really becomes the centre of your world.

[ivan]

6:37 "that's exactly what a town is" - or village. You don't need that much people to help each other. Many people, "were jack of all trades, master of none", and if they needed a specialist skills in remote place, they either go to town or another village, or wait for a wandering specialist to come again. For example in 1930s Finland were still wandering shoemakers, who visited in every house once a year, and made new pair of leather boots for everyone (if needed).

[gameragodzilla]

Videos like this as well as videos on Townsends are very cool precisely because we can see how people dealt with problems in the past before our current technology was invented. And can be very useful too in the event our current technology fails.

[ME_YAP]

Spent all of last fall felling trees and chopping wood while my dad installed two new fireplaces, just to save on electricity. This was in addition to use installing better insulation in the walls and ceiling.

[corbinamondo]

Due to certain circumstances, I had to move into my parents' basement and this winter with the prices going up we couldn't afford to heat our house regularly. Basements are cold. Like you I took the opportunity to start behaving and sleeping in "adventure mode" and instead of it being a miserable time it has been quite fun. Good video, and great attitude towards life and the challenges it throws at you. Much respect!

[WARobertsonMMII]

1. Commenting for the algorithm.
2. Fantastic video, especially the philosophical discussion of community, keep it up.

[therovingranger]

I guess that’s also why people had big families back then, they just needed all the hands they could to get everything done! That was a really thought provoking video, makes me more grateful for what we all have nowadays. Thanks!

[andrewbutton]

Something I learned from a bushcraft channel, if you jam an axe into a log, turn the jammed log/axe over and drop the log onto the axe. It worked for me, so I pass the knowledge on.

[saxonhermit]

Great vid! Having split wood a lot recently, I can give you a couple suggestions:
1. Get (or make) a froe! It makes life so, so much easier. A froe and a baton can make short work of just about any straight-grain log. You used your axe as a froe on one of the logs, I saw; a froe would give you more torque so you can twist it and split the log once you get down far enough. Just don't try it on the knotty ones; you will get stuck.

2. Cut plenty of wood and to spare while the weather is warm, and lay it up in a dry place. You will absolutely thank your past self when the weather turns cold.

3. The more you split down your wood, the better it will burn. Kindling burns better than great big logs, as a rule. Get a great big bucket or basket where you keep your kindling--anything split down to the thickness of your thumb or about twice that should go there.

4. PINE CONES make great fire-starters! Natural tinder is everywhere.

I'm sorry your heater busted, but this is a great opportunity to get into practice of not having to rely on modern technology! You can do it!